Preview: Chivas USA, FC Dallas seek rebounds at HDC

Two clubs aiming to get back to winning ways face off at The Home Depot Center when Chivas USA play host to FC Dallas on Saturday evening. Chivas lost for a first time in four games in their last outing, a 2-1 defeat by the Houston Dynamo on the road. FC Dallas saw their nine-game unbeaten streak come to a sudden end, falling 4-1 to Sporting Kansas City at home.

LAST YEAR (MLS):
6/26: CHV 1, DAL 2 (Romero 59 —own goal 45; Ferreira 61)
8/21: DAL 1, CHV 0 (Shea 71)
• FC Dallas won both meetings in 2010, 2-1 at The Home Depot Center and 1-0 at Pizza Hut Park, a year after Chivas USA won both meetings (each by a 2-0 scoreline).
• Nine of the last 11 meetings between the teams have ended with a team being shut out (one scoreless draw).
• Coaches record: Schellas Hyndman vs. CHV: P4 W2 L2 D0 ... Robin Fraser vs. DAL: first game

CHIVAS USA

Chivas USA once again couldn't come away from Robertson Stadium with a victory, falling 2-1 to the Houston Dynamo on the road on Saturday evening. Chivas USA have 17 points from 14 games on the season, in a tie for seventh place in the Western Conference.

LAST MATCH
• Chivas scored after just seven minutes. Marcos Mondaini poached a botched Hunter Freeman back pass and pushed the ball around an on-rushing Tally Hall, slotting home from a tight angle.
• Geoff Cameron scored the equalizer in the 29th minute, heading home from the penalty spot on a Brad Davis free kick swung in from out on the right touchline.
• The winner came in the 55th minute. A Davis corner kick was knocked back out from the goalmouth by Michael Lahoud, but the ball ricocheted off Heath Pearce's leg and back past Chivas goalkeeper Dan Kennedy.
• Chivas USA head coach Robin Fraser made two changes to the team that defeated the Portland Timbers 1-0 at The Home Depot Center. Ante Jazic came in for Zarek Valentin in the back, and Alejandro Moreno returned from international duty, starting for Justin Braun.
• CHIVAS USA (4-1-3-2): Dan Kennedy - Michael Lahoud, Heath Pearce, Michael Umana, Ante Jazic - Paulo Nagamura - Ben Zemanski (Blair Gavin 77), Nick LaBrocca, Jorge Flores (Simon Elliott 46) - Marcos Mondaini (Justin Braun 61), Alejandro Moreno.

TEAM NEWS
• Chivas USA have now gone nine league games against the Dynamo without a victory, though the goal scored by Mondaini ended a streak of 719 goalless minutes.
• "A big part of it is controlling the game with the ball, and I thought that at times we did quite well with that and at times, with too many stretched, we didn't do quite well with that," Chivas coach Robin Fraser said. "We weren't as good in execution as we needed to be, which led to turnovers, which led to opportunities for them, which led to corner kicks and free kicks."
• Since returning from his four-game suspension, Marcos Mondaini has scored in back-to-back games, netting the opener in the 2-1 loss at Houston. Mondaini has three goals in his last four appearances.
• Chivas USA are the only team in MLS below .500 at home, with a 2-3-2 mark at The Home Depot Center. Five teams (Toronto, Kansas City, D.C., Chicago and Vancouver) are .500 on their home grounds.
• "When we decided to play, we were quite good, and we were able to play through them, which was a difficult thing to do here with this team and the kind of pressure they put on," Fraser said. "I thought that at times when we played confidently, we were able to possess our way pretty well up the field."
• After missing two matches while with the Venezuelan national team, Alejandro Moreno was released to play in Houston, starting and playing the full 90 minutes. He will now rejoin the vinotinto in their preparations for the 2011 Copa America.
• Ante Jazic returned to the back line after missing one match, preferred to Zarek Valentin. It was the first match the rookie had not played in since April 2.

FC DALLAS

FC Dallas saw their nine-game unbeaten streak come to a crashing halt, falling 4-1 to Sporting Kansas City on Sunday evening at Pizza Hut Park. FCD has 25 points from 13 games on the season, in second place in the Western Conference.

LAST MATCH
• Sporting took the lead after 28 minutes when Graham Zusi fired a low shot from just outside the left corner of the box that beat Kevin Hartman inside the far post. But Brek Shea pulled FCD level just four minutes later, setting off on a powerful dribbling run through four SKC defenders before slotting home from inside the area.
• Yet Sporting exploded after the break. A long corner from Zusi was volleyed back into the mixer by C.J. Sapong, and Aurelien Collin swooped in to turn it home in the 49th minute. Zusi then made it 3-1 on a remarkable free kick from just short of the center circle, which dipped and dove as it sailed over Hartman's head.
• SKC were reduced to 10 men when Milos Stojcev was shown a second yellow card, but it was the visitors who completed the scoring when Luke Sassano ran onto a high ball out of midfield and looped it over Hartman as he came rushing off his line.
• FC Dallas head coach Schellas Hyndman made no changes to the team that claimed a 1-0 win against the New England Revolution at Pizza Hut Park
• FC DALLAS (4-4-2): Kevin Hartman - Zach Loyd (Jackson Goncalves 46), George John, Ugo Ihemelu, Jair Benitez (Ruben Luna 74) - Eric Alexander (Milton Rodriguez 46), Andrew Jacobson, Daniel Hernandez, Brek Shea - Marvin Chavez, Fabian Castillo.

TEAM NEWS
• FC Dallas allowed their most goals in a game since a 4-2 loss at Real Salt Lake, July 24, 2009.
• "It was a very disappointing performance on our part," FCD coach Schellas Hyndman said. "The whole complete attitude -- they wanted the game more than us, and I can't say that's occurred very often here. We looked very tired. We looked tired before the game started. If they all went to the same restaurant, I could say maybe it was the food. It's just something was missing today."
• The trip to Chivas USA is the only road game in a five-game stretch from June 4-July 2. FCD returns to Pizza Hut Park for games against Columbus and Portland.
• "We're going to take this loss as an opportunity. An opportunity to find out a little more about this team, and an opportunity to realize that we're better when we play as a team and fight for every ball," said Hyndman.
• Brek Shea scored his FCD-leading fifth goal, his second in four games.
• "(Last year) he'd have hit that as hard as he could right at the goalkeeper or missed the frame," Hyndman said. "But he showed so much composure just slotting it into the far post and it was a great opportunity for us to get back into the game."
• FC Dallas hadn't trailed in a game since April 23, when Vancouver Whitecaps FC took a lead in the 25th minute, which they held for 28 minutes.
• "It was a poor representation of who we are as a group. It's one of those games you have to move on quickly from," said goalkeeper Kevin Hartman. "They really kind of handed it to us today, to be honest. It's humbling, it's frustrating, it's embarrassing. All you can do is get back to work."
• While he had made just one league appearance —18 minutes as a substitute on April 17 —Maykel Galindo impressed with a goal for the FCD reserves against the Venezuelan national team.
• "I was really pleased with Maykel Galindo. I thought he had a very good game. It's the reason we brought him. He's an experienced player and a skillful player that can read the game well," Hyndman said.